Fish-cutting machine.



c. WAGKER. FISH CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1911.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES yNVEA/TOR 7 m 4%? AIIorm /S Patented Aug. 15,1911. v gsnnrswnm 2.

c. W'AGK-ER. P FISH CUTTING MACHINE;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1911.

.x M a" .m wnw N y L M. Mfl 6 m U m 1 W I sTA'rEs rggENT oF icE.

CHARLES WAGKER, OF BYRDTON, VIRGINIA.

FISH-CUTTING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, CHARLES VVAoKEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Byrdton, in the county of N'orthumberland and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and: useful Improvements in Fish-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Fig

In the spawning season, herring and other food fish arrive in the rlvers and bays in great numbers. but, owing principally to the scarcity of labor, they cannot be advanta-' geously handled so as to save the fish for food. purposes.

It is the purpose of my invention'to provide a machine whereby the fish will be split.

away, taken on the line 2+2 of Fig. 3,1 ig.

3-is a top plan view ofthe machine; Fig. 4 is'a cross'section on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side view of a fishv separated into two parts by the machine; and, Fig. 6

is ascction through the body of the fish on the line (is-.6 of Fig. 5, I

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, A indicates a suit. able frame, upon one end of which is mounted a suitablehopper Bv for receiving the fish. An endless conveyerC is mounted upon shafts J frame. mach ne, the power from the 1 and "2 journalcd near the ends of the The shaft 1 is the drive shaft of the prime mover being transmitted to the shaft by suitable means such as the sprocket chain 3.

The conveyor C comprises a pair of sprocket chains 4-4 passing around suitable sprocket wheels (3 on the shafts 1 and, 2, and wooden slats 7 having their ends suitably connected to the sprocket chains, and forming the floor of the. conveyer. Above the conveyer, and at the opposite end from the hopper, is arranged a shaft 8, extendingv from side to side of the frame and journaled Speciflcationof Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 15, 1911,

Application filed March 24,1911. Serial'No. 616,680. Y

thereon in suitable bearings 9. Upon this shaft are arranged circular knlvcs orcutters 10 which extend down practically into contact with the wooden slats 7 of the conveyer. These knives are preferably secured to the shaft 8 and the latter driven at .suitable speed by suitable means, such as the belt J, the shaft turning in the direction to cause the lower edges of theknives to travel in the same direction as the conveyer. In-

stead of driving the shaft and knives from the prime mover. the knives may be loosely mounted on the shaft, so that each will turn independently, in' which case the fish passing along on the conveyor under the knives will turn the latter.

The portion of the conveyer' which is immediately below the knives is adjustable I vertically by means of a roller frame 11, carrying rollers 12 which bear against the under side of the conveyer, and adjusting devices, such as the screws 13, mounted in the main frame and supporting the roller frame. By proper adjustment the slats of the conveyer will run practically in contact with the knives, t

Aseries of'partit-ions 14, 14*, which form guides, are connected to the hopper by hinges 14?, one ofwhich is shown .in Fig. 1, these hinges allowing the guides to swing laterally. The guides extend from the hopper to a point about in line withthe shaft 8, or a little beyond, and the rear ends of the guides rest upon the conveyer. When the conveyer is in motion it tends to hold the guides parallel-with one another and with the planes of the knives. Thereis a guide 14 at one side of each knife and a guide 14.

at the opposite'side, each pair of guides forming a channel D for guiding the fish from the hopper to the knives. These channels may be made to converge toward the knives by means of an adj ust-able bar E having wedges c projecting downwardly fromits under side and adapted to bear against the outer sides of each pair of guides. This bar is adjust-able lengthwise of the main frame and may be secured in any desired position by means of clamping screws 6 The adjustment'of the wedge bar toward the hopper causes the free ends of the guides for each channel to move toward one another, or converge toward the knives, while 40' wheels will travel at about as to prevent the backward relatively when they are engaged as to adjust a movement of the wedge bar in the oppof' "Ftsite directions permits farther apart. varied in width to suit being operated upon, of the guides assists in the guides to swing Thus the channels may be the width of thefish and the convergence adjusting the fish so that when they reachthe knives they will'lie 'endwise, on their sides in the channels.

The

knives are located midway between the guides,

and this relation is not disturbed by the adjustment of the wedge bar to vary the widths of the channels, The hopper B has an openingbthrough which the fish may pass on to the conveyer, 1 and at the'rear of the,hopper,

arranged fish from piling up on to nel, is a strick :1-5-

as will be evident.

in each chanat such a height conveyer and to cause them to pass slngly to the knives.

As the fish have some distance to travel in the converging channels, before reaching the knives, they will, upon reaching the knives, be file, and lying on their under the knives.

Any suitable form vided for preventing arranged endwise, in single sides when they pass of device may be prothe fish from slipping to the conveyer floor by the knives, such,

for instance, as a pawl; but I prefer to use a- 1positive feeding device for enga fis Between the strickand the knives,

is a feed shaft-16, jour naled in suitable bearings at 'main frame, and

close to the latter,

connected by a. crossging the the sides of the belt I'Zto the main shaft'l. Upon this feed shaft within each channel, being provided with tions 18".

I are secured feed'wheels 18, one feed wheel these wheels preferably small teeth or projec- The feed shaft is driven at a speed such that the peripheries of the feed as the conveyer,

arranged close enou engage the fish and hold them positively against backward movement, or slippage, while'they'are passing into engagement with the knives.

the same speed and, the feed wheels are gh to the conveyer to In operation the wedge bar-is adjusted so fish to be cut. hopper 13, pass" the channels to'the .size; 0

f the The fish, dumped, into the through the opening therein onto the conveyer and thence BIG-05113186.

through the channels.

verging toward the knives,

the channels adj acent The channels conand the width of to the hopper being V such that fish can only enter endwise therein,

and the strick preventing one on topof the other,

the fish from lying they will, by the time they reach the feed wheels, be arranged in single file, lengthwise of under the knives, fish longitudinally the .the channels.

lying upon their sides, and

When carriedlatter will split the and practically on a central line, as illustrated in Figs. 5 andi 6,

wherein 7 indicates the upper half of the .fish and f the lower half.- As shown in Fig. 6 the cavity, containing the entrails and roe, is mainly in the lower'half ofthefish. After passing the knives, the lower half of the fish is picked up by anattendant and the roe or milt'removed and utilized for canning purposes. The lower half of the fish is of little or no poses, but the upper-half, when the head and tail portions are removed is valuable for @-food purposes'and this may be canned.

In the drawing,

ent parts of the fish.

What I claim is I and ' knives, and means conveyer,

conveyer and 1 knives atthe oppositeend pachine, a traveling at one end of the at the opposite end ,per so as to swing to the knives, said guides forming channels extending from the and means for adjusting the free ends, of said guides laterally.- f 3. In a fish cutting machine, a traveling conveyer, a feed hopper at one end of the conveyer and knives at the opposite end thereof, guides hinged adjacent to the hopper so as to swing laterally and extending nels extending from the hopper to the I for adjusting the free ends of. said guides laterally comprising 9.

having projections thereon adapted to bear against the'sides of the guides, and means for securing said bar in various positions.

4. In' a fish cutting machine, a traveling a feed'hopper at one end thereof, guides each hinged at, one end'adend to swing laterally,

upon the conveyer, said channels extending knives, and means for adjusting the free ends of said guides laterally.

'. 5.'In a fish cutting machine, a conveyer guides forming .comprisingan endless traveling floor,

1. In a fish cutting machine, a travelin value for food pu'rportion of the fish 20 and 21 indicate recep-'* tacles which may be used for holding 'difierthereof, guides hinged adjacent to the hoplaterally and extending to the kuives,-said guides forming chan-v bar adjustable lengthwise of the guides and I jacent tothe hopper so as to permitits free" said free ends resting from the hopper tothe 100 hopper to the knives,

gnides, forming channel s, above said floof, In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, a shaftarranged transversely of the conin presence of two witnesses. veyer and having circular knives thereon CHARLES W AOKER adapted to engage said floor, one knife midway between the sides of each channel, and Witnesses: means for adjusting said floor toward and W. A. HASTINGS,- from the knives; HARRY WATERS. 

